Latest Leoni injury update ahead of Liverpool vs. Tottenham clash

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 23: Giovanni Leoni of Liverpool controls the ball whilst under pressure from Leo Scienza of Southampton during the Carabao Cup Third Round match between Liverpool and Southampton at Anfield on September 23, 2025 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images)

Giovanni Leoni is closing in on a return to action after a long-term injury lay-off, but the latest updates from Andoni Iraola confirm that he is not expected to feature in either of Liverpool’s next two matches before the international break. 

Where Leoni stands in year-long injury recover

Leoni joined Liverpool from Parma in a deal worth €35m plus bonuses last summer, but in a cruel twist of fate, the teenager’s 2025-26 season was ended on his first appearance after tearing his cruciate ligament (ACL) 81 minutes into an EFL Cup third round match against Southampton. 

It was originally expected that Leoni would miss around nine months of action as a result of his injury, but the rehabilitation period has taken even longer, as he has not yet returned to action almost exactly a year after the injury occurred. 

New Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola has recently confirmed that Leoni is expected to return to training with the Liverpool first-team during the upcoming September-October international break. 

“I think the next one [to return after Joe Gomez] probably should be Giovanni Leoni,” Iraola confirmed during a press conference on September 3. 

“I think the plan is also to start training during the break, with the group. I think even Fede [Chiesa] should be around those dates.”

Iraola provided a further update during his pre-match press conference ahead of Liverpool’s match against Tottenham in the third round of the EFL Cup, the same stage of the competition when Leoni suffered his injury last season. 

The question was originally asked about full-back Conor Bradley, to which Iraola responded: “I think he is not close to training with the team. He’s training alone but he has started touching the ball. Definitely I want him as quick as possible ready but it’s a long-term injury.”

He then added: “I think Giovanni Leoni is a little bit ahead of him and still it’s going to take some time for Conor, yes.”